Over 80 illegal structures razed, 20-acre government land cleared in Gurugram

GURUGRAM: More than 80 illegal structures, including 14 shops along Dwarka Expressway between Sector 106 and Sector 109, were razed by the enforcement wing of Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) on Thursday.

“During the drive, three illegal colonies were demolished, and around 20 acres of land was cleared by razing more than 60 structures in presence of 60 policemen,” district town planner RS Batth said.

The officials have found that the encroachers were also collecting rent by erecting kiosks and shanties on the government land.

Batth directed the staff to lodge FIR against these people with immediate effect.

With the help of three earthmovers, in the presence of 80 policemen, the enforcement team razed one building, seven shops, two under-construction shops, one scrap dealer’s shop, two nurseries and seven shops on the greenbelts. The land was originally acquired by Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) but is currently under GMDA. The shop owners had no permission from any of the departments.

Batth, who is currently heading the enforcement teams of four key departments —town and country planning department, GMDA, municipal corporations of Gurgaon (MCG) and Manesar (MCM), said that the state government is focusing on reclaiming its land by clearing encroachments and illegal colonies which have come up on the open spaces over the period of time.

The state government has recently launched a portal and sought details about the status of civic amenities within the unauthorised colonies across the city.